Israeli Woman Reveals 56-Year Ordeal of Abduction and Gang Rape in 1970
Flora Levi, a divorced mother of five living in Ramla, has come forward after 56 years to share the traumatic story of her abduction and prolonged gang rape as a teenager in 1970. Born Flora Zini in the moshav Rinatya to Moroccan immigrant parents, she was a bright student with dreams of becoming a writer. After a violent attack by a jealous peer left her with a facial scar, she was sent to live with a childless couple in Savion, where she experienced a vastly different life.
On August 17, 1970, after agreeing to accompany a neighbor’s au pair, Ruthie, to a nightclub in Petah Tikva, Flora was abandoned at a bus stop and subsequently abducted by three men. Over several days, she was drugged, beaten, and repeatedly raped by multiple assailants at various locations including a house in Rosh HaAyin and a park with a pond where she was nearly drowned. Despite identifying 17 attackers, only three were tried and two convicted, receiving sentences far lighter than the legal maximum. One escaped prison and fled abroad before surrendering years later.
Flora was hospitalized with severe injuries and endured a harrowing legal process without adequate support, facing aggressive defense attorneys and prolonged trauma. She later married, had children, and worked in various jobs, but struggled with depression, PTSD, and physical ailments resulting from the abuse. She was hospitalized involuntarily multiple times and has received disability benefits since revealing her story to the National Insurance Institute.
The recent surge in public awareness of kidnapping and trauma cases following the October 7 attacks prompted Flora to break her silence. She hopes her testimony will raise awareness, encourage other survivors to come forward, and prompt the state to acknowledge past failures and provide her with better living conditions. Flora is currently writing a book about her experience but lacks resources to publish it.
She emphasizes that she was a child and not to blame for what happened, calling for societal recognition of the long-lasting impact of such crimes. Flora’s story highlights systemic failures in victim support and justice from decades ago, underscoring the need for continued vigilance and reform.
